Global broadband growth: Russia rises while the US and India stall

A new report from Point Topic has highlighted contrasting growth trends in major broadband markets across the world.

The firm has identified a number of countries which have 'survived the broadband crunch' since 2009, and others which have struggled to meet growth expectations.

Oliver Johnson, Chief Executive at Point Topic, said that in what has been "a difficult period", markets have been subject to "a number of internal and external shocks".

This has made it "pretty difficult for crystal ball gazers" in the broadband sector, he suggested.

"Our global projection from May 2009 ended up being just over 3.5 per cent too optimistic compared to the actual numbers reported at the end of 2011," Mr Johnson stated.

In terms of individual nations, Point Topic revealed that Russia has seen significant growth in the last three years.

Fibre broadband adoption rates have been particularly impressive in the country, as Russian consumers have sought access to super-fast download speeds.

Australia beat Point Topic's growth forecast by more than four per cent, while Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong all performed strongly despite their already high penetration rates.

Brazil and China also reported "very strong" numbers, while in Europe, France has continued to exceed expectations.

Point Topic noted that French consumers have responded warmly to IPTV and VoIP services, which are delivered via a broadband connection.

"However, standalone broadband services are starting to disappear meaning consumers have less choice," the analyst stated.

"This is being counteracted for the moment as France offers the lowest price bundles, relative to average income in the country, of anywhere in the world."

In terms of the underachievers, Malaysia led the way with "very disappointing" growth, Point Topic said.

Despite the market being theoretically ripe for expansion- plans were in place, the subscription pricing was at a reasonable level and demand certainly existed - a lack of competition stifled adoption rates.

The US also struggled to meet expectations, as operators continued to focus on revenue-rich areas, often already covered with a broadband deployment.

According to Point Topic, the US is likely to continue slipping down the rankings of penetration, bandwidth and coverage over the coming years.

India also missed its growth target set in 2009, albeit by a small margin.

The analyst said the market faces "significant infrastructure issues" and has suffered from corruption particularly with reference to licence allocation.

"Coupled with a slow moving approach from government and regulator these elements have all combined to make the market with the second biggest potential in the world report stuttering numbers," it added.

uSwitch Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 312850. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA website.